Ball rotation sheave release

ABSTRACT

A bail rotation sheave release for the sway stop sheaves of a lifting spreader sway arrest system wherein the sway stop sheaves are moved upwardly and inwardly to provide increased rope clearance for the spreader when it is being lowered into a ship&#39;&#39;s storage cell and to permit a cargo container suspended by a lifting spreader to hang to gravity when the release means is actuated. The release means also provides an overload release for the sway stop sheaves.

United States Patent Gill 1 June 3, 1975 BALL ROTATION SHEAVE RELEASE 3,561,809 2/1971 Harding 294/81 R 3,598,440 8/1971 Ramsden 294/81 SF [75] Inventor: Charles Barrier Gill, San Mateo,

Cahf' Primary Examiner-Albert J. Makay [73] Assignee: Fruehauf Corporation, Alameda, A ney, Agent, or Firm-Bruce & McCoy Calif.

[22] Filed: Nov. 2, 1971 [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.: 194,877 A bail rotation sheave release for the sway stop sheaves of a lifting spreader sway arrest system wherein the sway stop sheaves are moved upwardly [52] 212/128 g and inwardly to provide increased rope clearance for [51] 214 the spreader when it is being lowered into a ship's [58] held 0 1 128 54/188 storage cell and to permit a cargo container suspended l by a lifting spreader to hang to gravity when the red lease means is actuated. The release means also pro- [56] References vides an overload release for the sway stop sheaves.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Fitch 294/81 SF 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEH JUH 3 ms SHEET PATENTEBJUH a ma SHEET BALL ROTATION SI-IEAVE RELEASE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is related to US. Pat. Application Ser. No. 77,584, filed Oct. 2, 1970, for Variable Centers Rope Suspension System, by George W. Cooper and assigned to the same assignee.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to anti-sway devices for inhibiting and arresting sway of a suspended load, and more particularly it relates to a bail rotation sheave release for moving the sway stop sheaves of an anti-sway system upwardly and inwardly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART The problem of sway associated with cargo container cranes is well known, and many solutions have been proposed to overcome or arrest the swaying or pendulum motion of a suspended load. In particular, the device and method set-forth in the above-mentioned US. patent application reduces the sway of a suspended load by the angulation of the wire rope reeving passing between a pair of movable trolleys and a lifting spreader headblock. The spreader headblock contains a pair of sheaves mounted at each end, and a further pair of sheaves mounted midway between the end pairs of sheaves.

The pair of sheaves mounted midway of the spreader headblock are referred to as the sway stop sheaves and are mounted as close as possible to, and slant outwardly from, the side edges of the spreader headblock. Because of the angulation of the wire ropes reeved through these sheaves, it has been found that when loading cargo containers through some ship hatches when the ship is listing due to uneven loading or wave motion, the hoisting ropes reeved through the sway stop sheaves contact the hatch coaming (edges) or the cell guides thereby shortening one of the lines and cocking the container in the guides, as well as causing undue wear of the ropes.

In addition, if the sway stop lines are kept taut while a container is being lowered into a ship's hold, the container does not hang to gravity for ease of entrance into the cell guides, and ease of sliding in the cell guides, and causes damage to the container corner posts.

To overcome the above-set-forth problems, the present invention provides a means for moving the bails on which the sway-stop sheaves of a variable centers rope suspension system are mounted, upwardly and inwardly, to both release the tension in the sway arrest lines, and to provide vertical side clearance for the lines when a spreader is lowered into a ships cell.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A bail rotation sheave release means for a sway arrest system for cargo container handling lifting spreaders having sway arrest lines reeved through sheaves mounted on opposite sides of the spreaders. The release means provides a tension release for the sway arrest lines, and vertical side clearance for the lines from cell guides when a spreader is lowering a cargo container into a ships hold. Movable bails secure the sway arrest sheaves to the spreader, and a toggle linkage is provided for moving the bails upwardly and inwardly with respect to the spreader from the down position, a power means is provided for moving the toggle linkage to the upward position and for locking the toggle linkage in the down position.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an important object of the invention to provide a bail rotation sheave release for a variable centers rope suspension system.

It is another object of the instant invention to provide a means for releasing the tension on the sway-arrest lines of an anti-sway device.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a means which allows vertical side clearance for the sway arrest lines of a sway arrest system when a spreader is lowering a cargo container into a ships hold.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a system for moving the sway stop sheaves of an anti-sway device, upwardly and inwardly.

And it is still a further object of the present invention to provide a mechanical overload release when the loads on the sway arrest lines become too great during sway arresting.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the present invention showing the reeving arrangement with the swayarrest lines in the down position and lowering a spreader cargo container into a ships cell with the ship listing 2 /2.

FIG. 2 is a partial view of FIG. 1 showing the swayarrest reeving with the sheaves in the up position.

FIG. 3 is an end elevation in partial section showing the sway-arrest reeving and sheaves in the locked down position.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation in partial section showing the sway-arrest reeving and sheaves in the up position,

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is made to the drawings for the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention. There shown is a lifting spreader 11 as supported from the gantry 13 of a cargo container handling crane 15. In the particular sway-arrest system under consideration, a pair of sway-arrest sheaves 17 are mounted on the 0pposite sides of the spreader generally midway from the ends thereof. The lines or wire rope 21, 23 which are reeved through these two sheaves are basically independent sway-arrest lines as far as the lifting spreader is concerned. Usually, in most sway-arrest systems, at least two sheaves are utilized with at least one sheave mounted on each side of the spreader.

The bail rotation sheave release means 25 of the present invention provides a tension release for the sway-arrest lines to permit the spreader and cargo container to hang to gravity when the sheave release means is activated. The sheaves are moved upwardly about 12 inches. This removes some of the tension on the lines, but still leaves enough so that the lines contact the sheaves and remain relatively taut and aligned in the sheaves. The tension release means permits a cargo container which is being lowered into or removed from the cell guides ofa ship's hold 27 to find its own way in the cell guides and prevents the tension on the sway-arrest lines from rocking the container on its longitudinal axes to thereby create friction within the cell guides. The release means prevents the swayarrest lines from cocking the container for any reason, such as when the ship sways due to the wave motion of the water or lists due to uneven loading.

The sheave release means also moves the sheaves inwardly about 9 inches each toward the center of the lifting spreader, whereby the sway-arrest lines hang closer together to provide vertical side clearance for the lines with respect to the hatch cell coaming and cell guides when the spreader holding a container is being lowered into or removed from a ships hold. The deeper the container is in the hold, the closer the sway arrest lines come to contacting the hatch coaming or the cell guides and interfering therewith. Therefore, it is necessary under the extreme conditions of a listing ship and a deep cell to provide greater vertical side clearance for the sway arrest lines so that they do not interfere with the hatch coaming or the cell guides during handling of the container.

The bail rotation sheave release means 25 includes a pair of movable bails 29, 31 for securing the swayarrest sheaves to the spreader. The bails act as journals in which the sheaves rotate. In the preferred embodiment, each of the bails are journaled by pins 33, 35 between the ends of a pair of bellcranks 37, 39 which are disposed on opposite sides of the spreader. Actually, the bails could be secured to a single bellcrank, but in a preferred embodiment, a pair of bellcranks is preferable as it journals each side of the bail for stability and permits smaller size bellcranks to be utilized. A pair of these bellcranks is disposed on each side of the spreader to accommodate each of the two bails. The bails are disposed or located in their proper position on the opposite sides of the spreader when the bellcranks are located in the down position adjacent the lifting spreader.

A toggle linkage is provided for moving the bails upwardly and inwardly from the down position with respect to the spreader. Included in this linkage are the bellcranks, and to effect this movement of the bails, those ends opposite the bail connections are journaled to the spreader at 45, 47 and are fixed with respect to the lifting platform. The crank portions of the bellcranks are disposed extending upward with respect to the spreader or platform for effecting upward and inward motion of the bails with respect to the spreader when the release means is actuated.

The toggle linkage also includes at least one actuation arm 41, 43 for each pair of bellcranks. A first end of the actuation arm is journaled to the crank portion of the bellcrank at 49, 51, and the second end to a power means 55. In the preferred embodiment, a pair of actuation arms are utilized for each of the pairs of bellcranks, and they have their first ends journaled to the respective crank portions of each of the pair of bellcranks. The second ends of the actuation arms are, in the preferred embodiment, secured to a common journal.

One pair of the pairs of actuation arms are journaled to opposite ends of a common shaft 53. The pair of actuation arms extending from the opposite pair of bellcranks are bent inward and are secured to a pair of journals mounted on the same common shaft as the other actuation arms, but these journals are both disposed inwardly along the shaft of the two journals of the other actuation arms.

The power means 55 is provided for moving the toggle linkage to the upward position and for locking the toggle linkage in the downward position. The power means is secured to the other or second ends of the actuation arms for moving that end of the actuation arm up or down. The power means moves the common shaft 53 of the actuation arms vertically up and down so as to actuate the release means. Upward motion of the common journal lifts the inboard ends of the actuation arms to lift the crank portions of the bellcranks and rotate the bellcranks inwardly, thereby lifting and rotating the bails upwardly and inwardly with respect to the spreader or platform. The downward motion of the common journal reverses the process to lock the sheaves down.

A guide means 57 is provided for the ends of the common journal to insure that the journal tracks vertically up and down. This guide means is simply a pair of aligned tubular posts 59, 61 disposed at and bracketing the opposite ends of the common shaft, and the ends of the shaft are provided with roller bearings 63, 65 which move between these posts.

An important feature of the invention is the orientation of the bellcrank and actuation arms when in the down position. In this position, the actuation arms are disposed substantially aligned with a line drawn between the bail journal axis and the axis of the connection of the actuation arm with the bellcrank when the sheave is disposed in the down position. However, the arm is angled slightly away from the spreader or the platform at its connection with the power means. This prevents the linkage from locking up, and if heavy loads are imposed on the sway-arrest ropes, tending to lift the bail ends of the bellcranks, the actuation arms will be urged toward the up position. If the connection of the actuation arms were aligned with the axis of the bail pin and its journal with the bellcranks, the linkage would lock up. Likewise, if the connection point of the actuation arms with the power means moved below the line, or closer to the spreader or platform, heavy loads on the arrest lines would tend to lock the arms down tighter and prevent them from releasing.

The bellcrank offset between the connection of the bellcrank with the spreader and the journal axis of the actuation arm with the bellcrank holds the bellcrank in the down position when the power means is locked in the down position and the ends of the actuation arms are held close to the spreader or platform. This permits the actuation arms to obtain a mechanical advantage for holding the bellcranks in the down position. The offset from the axis of rotation of the bellcrank through which the actuation arm operates forms a nearly locked T preventing the bellcranks from rotating inwardly against the resistance of the actuation arm. However, because the arm is angled slightly upwards from its connection with the power "means, very large forces exerted upon the bellcrank to lift the outboard ends will permit the two actuation arms to move inwardly and upwardly, if the power means permits.

In a preferred embodiment, a hydraulic circuit having a cylinder is utilized to actuate the mechanism. The lower end of the cylinder is secured to the lifting spreader at 67,'and the upper end, or the eye of the connecting rod 69, is secured to the common journal of the actuation arms at the center thereof. In operation, the system is pumped between the up and down positions by a pump capable of producing approximately 750 psi" in the hydraulic circuit. Once the release means isin the fully up or down position, a switch is thrown shutting the hydraulic circuit. This is done by shutting the hydraulic circuit off by valving to isolate the pumping system and form a closed hydraulic circuit. This closed circuit includes a relief valve set to a value of approximately 3,000 psi to accomodate overloads.

lf heavy mechanical overloads are exerted on the toggle linkage through the sway-arrest lines, by virtue of heavy sway, and the pressure in the hydraulic system holding the cylinder in the down position exceeds 3,000 psi, the toggle linkage will be released and moved toward the up position. Thus, the hydraulic system includes a valve means to lock the hydraulic circuit after the power means has moved the release means to either the up or down position. The relief valve is included in the hydraulic circuit so that any mechanical overloads in the down position of the sheave bails will cause the relief valve to relax the hydraulic circuit to permit the sheave bails to move toward the up position.

It will be seen that there are three principal advantages to the present invention. First, moving the sheaves upwardly releases the tension on the swayarrest lines to permit the spreader to hang to gravity whereby containers can be more easily lowered into cell guides. Second, moving the sheaves inwardly creates greater clearance for the sway-arrest lines and prevents interference between the cell guides and the sway-arrest lines when the containers are being lowered into or raised from deep cells or listing ships. And third, the hydraulic system which locks the sheaves in the down position permits an overload to be released through the relief valve operation to permit the sheaves to move toward the upward and inward position, to act as a shock absorber.

While the invention has been described in considerable detail, it is not to be limited to such details as have been set forth, except as may be necessitated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. in a sway arrest system for cargo container handling lifting spreaders having sway arrest lines reeved through sheaves mounted on opposite sides of said spreaders, a bail rotation sheave release means for providing a tension release for the sway arrest lines, and for providing vertical side clearance for said lines from cell guides when a spreader is lowering a cargo container into a ships hold, comprising movcable bails securing said sway arrest sheaves to said spreader,

toggle linkage for moving said bails upwardly and inwardly from the down position with respect to said spreader, and

power means for moving said toggle linkage to the up position and for locking said toggle linkage in the down position.

2. A release means for moving a wire rope sheave upwardly and inwardly with respect to a platform and formed to hold the sheave in the down position when so disposed, said release means comprising a sheave bail journaled at the free end of at least one bellcrank, the other end of said bellcrank being journaled to said platform with the crank portion of said bellcrank being offset upwardly with respect to said platform, at least one actuation arm having a first end journaled to the crank portion of said bellcrank, and 5 power means secured to the. other or second end of said actuation arm for moving it up and down, said actuation arm being substantially aligned with a line drawn between the bail journal axis and the axis of the connection of the actuation arm with the bellcrank when the sheave is disposed in the down position, but said arm being angled slightly away from said platform to its connection with the power means so as to prevent the linkage from locking up, the offset between the connection of the bellcrank with the platform and the journal axis of the actuation arm with the bellcrank holding the bellcrank in the down position when the power means urges the end of the actuation arm toward the spreader.

3. In a sway arrest system for cargo container handling lifting spreaders having sway arrest sheaves mounted on opposite sides thereof, a bail rotation sheave release means for moving the sheaves upwardly and inwardly with respect to the spreader comprising a pair of sheave bails, each of said sheave bails being 25 journaled between the ends of a pair of bellcranks,

said bails being disposed at opposite sides of the spreader when in the down position, the opposite ends of said bellcranks from said bails being journaled to said spreader, the crank positions of said bellcranks being disposed upward for effecting upward and inward motion to said bails with respect to said spreader when said release means is actuated to rotate the bellcranks and move the bails from the down to the up position,

at least one pair of actuation arms having their first ends journaled to the respective crank portions of each of said pair of bellcranks, and their second ends secured to a common journal, and

power means for moving the common journal of said actuation arms vertically up and down to actuate the release means, the upward motion of said common journal lifting the inboard ends of said actuation arms to rotate said bellcranks inwardly thereby lifting and rotating said bails inwardly, and the downward motion of said common journal reversing the process to lock the sheaves down.

4. The bail rotation sheave release means of claim 3 wherein said power means is a hydraulic circuit including valve means to lock the hydraulic circuit after the power means has been pumped to either the up or down position, and

a relief valve is included in said hydraulic circuit whereby mechanical overloads in the down position of the sheave bails will cause the relief valve to relax the hydraulic circuit to permit the sheave bails to move toward the up position.

5. The bail rotation sheave release means of claim 3 including a guide means for said common journal of said actuation arms to guide and effect vertical up and down movement thereof.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CETIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 887 081. Dated June 3 1975 lnventorcs) Charles Barrier Gill It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

IN THE TITLE "BALL" should be -BAIL-- IN THE SPECIFICATION Column 1, line 1 "BALL" should be -BAIL Signed and Scaled this twenty-sixth Day 0f August 1975 [SEAL] Arrest:

RUTH C. MASON C. MARSHALL DANN Arresting Officer ('ommissimu'r of Parenls and Trademarks 

1. In a sway arrest system for cargo container handling lifting spreaders having sway arrest lines reeved through sheaves mounted on opposite sides of said spreaders, a bail rotation sheave release means for providing a tension release for the sway arrest lines, and for providing vertical side clearance for said lines from cell guides when a spreader is lowering a cargo container into a ship''s hold, comprising moveable bails securing said sway arrest sheaves to said spreader, toggle linkage for moving said bails upwardly and inwardly from the down position with respect to said spreader, and power means for moving said toggle linkage to the up position and for locking said toggle linkage in the down position.
 1. In a sway arrest system for cargo container handling lifting spreaders having sway arrest lines reeved through sheaves mounted on opposite sides of said spreaders, a bail rotation sheave release means for providing a tension release for the sway arrest lines, and for providing vertical side clearance for said lines from cell guides when a spreader is lowering a cargo container into a ship''s hold, comprising moveable bails securing said sway arrest sheaves to said spreader, toggle linkage for moving said bails upwardly and inwardly from the down position with respect to said spreader, and power means for moving said toggle linkage to the up position and for locking said toggle linkage in the down position.
 2. A release means for moving a wire rope sheave upwardly and inwardly with respect to a platform and formed to hold the sheave in the down position when so disposed, said release means comprising a sheave bail journaled at the free end of at least one bellcrank, the other end of said bellcrank being journaled to said platform with the crank portion of said bellcrank being offset upwardly with respect to said platform, at least one actuation arm having a first end journaled to the crank portion of said bellcrank, and power means secured to the other or second end of said actuation arm for moving it up and down, said actuation arm being substantially aligned with a line drawn between the bail journal axis and the axis of the connection of the actuation arm with the bellcrank when the sheave is disposed in the down position, but said arm being angled slightly away from said platform to its connection with the power means so as to prevent the linkage from locking up, the offset between the connection of the bellcrank with the platform and the journal axis of the actuation arm with the bellcrank holding the bellcrank in the down position when the power means urges the end of the actuation arm toward the spreader.
 3. In a sway arrest system for cargo container handling lifting spreaders having sway arrest sheaves mounted on opposite sides thereof, a bail rotation sheave release means for moving the sheaves upwardly and inwardly with respect to the spreader comprising a pair of sheave bails, each of said sheave bails being journaled between the ends of a pair of bellcranks, said bails being disposed at opposite sides of the spreader when in the down position, the opposite ends of said bellcranks from said bails being journaled to said spreader, the crank positions of said bellcranks being disposed upward for effecting upward and inward motion to said bails with respect to said spreader when said release means is actuated to rotate the bellcranks and move the bails from the down to the up position, at least one pair of actuation arms having their first ends journaled to the respective crank portions of each of said pair of bellcranks, and their second ends secured to a common journal, and power means for moving the common journal of said actuation arms vertically up and down to actuate the release means, the upward motion of said common journal lifting the inboard ends of said actuation arms to rotate said bellcranks inwardly thereby lifting and rotating said bails inwardly, and the downward motion of said common journal reversing the process to lock the sheaves down.
 4. The bail rotation sheave release means of claim 3 wherein said power means is a hydraulic circuit including valve means to lock the hydraulic circuit after the power means has been pumped to either the up or down position, and a relief valve is included in said hydraulic circuit whereby mechanical overloads in the down position of the sheave bails will cause the relief valve to relax the hydraulic circuit to permit the sheave bails to move toward the up position. 